It has been one of those weeks where blogging just didn't happen.
I don't even remember what was going on last Thursday. I guess I was trying to get packed and such so Alli and I could go see our long time friends up in E-burg. We had a fantastic little road trip, pondered life and spent time catching up. There are some people in our lives that we don't see for ages and then we get together and it is like no time has passed. I appreciate those people.
In the midst of the weekend we lost my best friend's dad. We knew he was sick and that his body was giving out on him. It was hard to see him so sick. In honor of him I am pondering last weeks topic of "my past" and thinking of so many fond memories spent at Rick's house.
I spent at least some of almost every other weekend over at his house during my teen years. If it was Brooke's weekend to be there, I generally was too. Sometimes we would just be on his computer as soon as he got off- getting on the good ol' ALC chat room or MSN chat. Other times we were ordering pizza, hanging out in the living room playing charades, dancing in the kitchen, watching Top Gun (I still don't know what was so cool about that movie????...besides the sound track????), and loads of other teen moments.
One New Year's Brooke and I got back in the early hours of the morning and I parked my car in it's usual spot- backwards wheel to the curb on the wrong side of the street- just like I always did. After a late sleep I headed out to my car to discover, on my windshield, a parking ticket. Cop getting his quota in. Rick was so ticked he took the ticket and I am pretty sure called and complained about it- I guess my car looked like a drunk person came down the hill and parked, according to the cop. Well, sir, actually I always park there. sorry my back tire was a bit crooked. Rick wouldn't let me pay the fine, he said 'you always do that this is the dumbest ticket ever'. That's just the kind of extra dad he was in my life. :).
When I moved to Denver I didn't see him much because Brooke didn't live there any more when I came home. I just sent him my Christmas cards and newsletters. When I moved home it was fun to spend time with him again because we would hang out at Brooke and Jason's some sunday afternoons. After he was diagnosed I would stop by the house here and there just to hang out. One of my favorite times was dropping off pasties and Jackson was there building a plane. We chatted a bit and prayed and I think it was in that moment I realized how he had impacted my life.
Thanks Rick for being a great dad to my best friend and letting me be part of the family.